


The Fury Of The Damned

by Ronnambi



Category: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Mass Effect Trilogy, XCOM (Video Games) & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-12 16:39:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 17
Words: 19,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18450506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ronnambi/pseuds/Ronnambi
Summary: Not exactly a time-travel fic.Can one man, taken from his home universe and thrust into an interstellar war against an unrelenting alien juggernaut find the strength and skill necessary to save his home dimension ?





	1. Chapter 1

_Prologue:_

_Death, An Old Friend_

**Date:** 23/09/2019

**Time:** 2247 hrs

**Place:** DE Facility 'Vorago', Gulf Of Guinea, Atlantic Ocean

I jump off of the Firebolt I am on and engage my wingsuit. Despite my combat load out, my wingsuit is able to handle the strain. I feel the winds buffeting me in every direction, which stops as soon as I cross the wardline. I use runic inscriptions on my boots, basically Banishing Charms, to control the direction of my flight.

I and two others are all that is left of the Resistance. Everything has fallen under the Dark Lord's heel.

My family. My wife. My friends.

All dead.

I can only thank whatever power there is in this world that none of us ever had children. Prolonged exposure to Dark Magic affected fertility apparently. Or so Hermione hypothesised.

I blink away my tears as I focus my mind on the mission.

A suicide op.

After my wife's death, I revel in those kind of ops. I even earned a nickname from the enemy for my utter ruthlessness on the battlefield and sheer cold-blooded brutality.

_Mort._

I guess that's why old MoldyShorts decided he needed six more Horcruxes. Bastard was only alive because each Horcrux was a live person kept in suspended animation, with his soul piece leeching out their life.

I used the moment, waiting for my contact to signal the all clear, to study the target. It, at best, could be described as a mushroom-shaped structure, about 5 kilometers in diameter, made of smooth, black stone, shimmering with warding runes, glowing an eldritch purple. Reddish-orange light highlighted the mouth of 'Vorago'.

'The Pit'.

There! The flash of an infrared laser that my visor catches. Morse code.

A_L_L C_L_E_A_R.

I angle myself down and accelerate towards the flashed light, using my boots to give me a speed boost. I flash over the walls, a shadow against the night sky. Approaching my IP, I flip onto my back, activate my parachute and boots, slowing my descent as I orient myself to land on the ledge. I land on a knee and have my suppressed M1911s raised and pointing at the two figures in front of me.

"Holly" I say in challenge, knowing that the correct response was an Oath-bound secret. To which they would respond to an individual pass phrase that the other would not know.

"Hawthorn" replied Draco Malfoy, DE and now mole within them to me.

"Phoenix" replied Daphne Malfoy nee Greengrass. The two of them had come to me when their 6 year old son Scorpius was 'selected' by Voldemort to be one of his horcruxes.

And that was twelve years ago.

I nodded curtly as I holstered my pistols, removed my flight harness, and secured my weapons and explosives to my body.

"Sit-rep" I order, securing my helmet last, my enchanted visor adjusting automatically to the light, revealing their pale faces.

"He's going ahead with it. We need to stop the ritual  _now_!" came Draco's reply. He had informed me of what ol' Moldy was upto and that I would need to cleanse Vorago. Not just of the DE. No, Vorago had been built on a point of confluence of all major leylines. All that dark energy had corrupted the leylines, affecting all species, flora and fauna, magical and mundane, making them into hideous monstrosities.

And now, Moldy wanted to ascend into godhood.

To do that, he had to summon and trap an entity, sacrifice it and absorb the resultant energy.

And he had picked the Vernal Equinox so that he could corrupt it completely, devastating the universe, rendering it into eternal night.

"Opposition" I order, as I secure a piton onto the stone and run an abseiling cord through it, cinching it onto my combat rig. Daphne replied.

"His entire Inner Circle, a company of magical mercenaries, three companies of mundane mercenaries, about 20 lethifolds and 10 dementors" she rattled off, knowing my concern is only for anything and everything that could be a threat.

I nod curtly and hand over a small medallion to them.

"You kept your end of the bargain. Now, I keep mine" I say, knowing the minute they use the overcharged Portkey to smash through the wards,everyone would go onto high alert.

Exactly what I wanted.

The Malfoys hesitantly nod, then as one engulf me in a hug. Quickly they pull away, Draco looking me firmly in the eye.

"Give him hell", at which my lips quirk into the approximation of a smile.

"That  _is_ the intention" I reply, a little bit of my humour creeping into my voice as I step off the ledge.

* * *

I made my way down the shaft, my suppressed L85A2 assault rifle leading the way. I scan as I go down, one eye on the mission clock. Deep down, I can see the red glow of the mantle.

_There. Movement. Three figures. The Lestranges._

I shift my sights, flip the safety from safe to single shot. I then rest the tip of the foresight on Bellatrix's head and open fire.

My first shot causes her head to explode. I guess hollow point bullets would ruin anyone's day, huh?

I shift fire and stitch Rodolphus, then slot Rabastan as he reached for his DM.

Good, no alert.

I continue on my way, until I can't go any lower on the rope. Swinging on it, I slash at the rope with my K-bar, cutting myself off of it as I fly over to the opposite ledge that had a small IR light stuck on it. I land on it, my rifle at the ready. I crouch walk, following the route that Draco had shown me via Legillimency. I sweep the corners, my Supersensory charm acting as a radar.

I turn a corner to see ten DEs on a patrol. I don't hesitate in opening fire, slotting them all with ten rounds. Still no alert.

I suddenly feel a cold creeping over my skin as I turn a corner. Unlike earlier, Dementors have no effect on me. Not after I lost my wife.

I summoned the Sword Of Gryffindor and slashed at it, the Dementor's essence being sucked into the blade. I smirk as I stow it away in its pocket dimension. This one was Harry's contribution, a combination Undetectable Expansion charm and Featherweight charm anchored a certain distance from the caster.

Thinking of my brother-in-all-but-blood generally causes me to go into a funk. This time, it filled me with a sense of purpose.

I made my way to the Stasis chamber. One person stood over the central console.

"I was wondering when you would come,  _Mort_ " came a feminine voice. She turned around to look at me, her eyes red, her hair lank and skin pasty, with a demented grin on her face..

The Dark Lord's consort, Pansy Parkinson.

I guess Moldyshort's a paedophile. Gyuck, is my only opinion.

I didn't even respond to her remark, opening fire. The round struck her in the forehead, causing her head to jerk back. Slowly, her head set up straight.

"Now, that wasn't very _**nice**_ " her voice shifted from childlike to a demented growl. I open fire as she Apparates around the place throwing things around, and at me. A glowing green jar slams next to me. I just manage to jump out of the way as the Greek fire detonates, throwing me into a pillar. I felt a vice like grip grab me and throw me into the ground. Then the same grip slams me again. And again. And again, and again, and again.

Spots and flashes dance in my vision, as I cough up blood. I can feel one of my lungs puncture from a broken rib. I turn around to see Parkinson holding my rifle, inspecting it curiously.

"Such a quaint little toy. Made by filthy Muggles I assume? Your father must be so proud, blood traitor. After all, didn't he too love to play with such toys?" she commented as she slowly bent the rifle out of shape.

"Oh by the way, your creature wife? We had  _so_ much fun playing with her! Even when she became nothing more than a drooling idiot, we all had our fun with her! And then, I got to eat her beating heart while she bled all over the place. Such a mess, no?" she commented as if she were talking of the weather.

"And now, I get to do the same thing to  ** _you_** " she said, and lunged at me, her face morphing into an animalistic form, her teeth and jaws large enough to make a Great White insecure and her hands morphing into claws.

I waited till the last second before summoning the Sword and slamming it into her head. The blade sunk right to the roof of her mouth, cutting into her brain. The basilisk venom and Dementor essence slowly caused her head, then her body to crumble to dust.

I felt myself start choking on blood, when I feel active magic flare around me. I struggle to lift my head up and turn to look at the stasis pods to see that all of the bodies inside were glowing red from the runes tattooed onto their bodies, their eyes glowing a sickly green.

I couldn't hear the Aramic chant, but I could feel it in my bones. Knowing now was as good a time as any to activate my weapon, I struggle out of my bullet proof vest and unbutton my shirt, revealing a pentagram inscribed into my chest. The runes would do one thing, and one thing only.

Utilise my life force as an explosive and vaporise the entire complex. Fittingly, we called it Soulfire.

The 12 kilometer crater where Stonehenge stood was because Tonks was about to be overwhelmed and used her last remaining life force to take out a battalion worth of Inferi.

I take my K-bar and slash my hand open. I then place my bloody hand on the centre of the tattoo. It lit up with a white light and I felt my body burn with energy.

And within a second I was overtaken by indescribable pain as my self ceased to be.

The next thing I knew was waking up on the ground with a black cowled figure standing over me, with its arms crossed. By the way it was leaning over me, and the general sense of being under an oppressive glare, I knew it was ticked off at me.

**_BOY, YOU DONE FUCKED UP_**  it said.


	2. A New Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Last Member of the Resistance has a new mission.

_A New Mission_

**Date:** N/A

**Time:** N/A

**Place:** N/A

**_BOY, YOU DONE FUCKED UP_**  it said. I let out a mental sigh as I push off the ground, getting to my feet.

"Ok, how?" I asked. I know what you're thinking, why am I not phased on meeting the personification of Death. Well, let's put it this way, my last op? It was to save it.

And now it was criticising me.

I mean, a little gratitude would be nice.

I think it senses that, and gives out a huff.

**_THANK YOU FOR SAVING ME. NOW LET'S GET BACK ON TRACK, SHALL WE?_**  Ok, fair point. I shrug in reply, my face completely bored. I've  _nearly_ died so many times over the years that Death and I are now on fairly good terms.

**_THE REASON YOU FUCKED UP WAS THAT NONE OF THIS SHIT SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED. AND YOU, YOU WERE THE LYNCHPIN IN ENSURING POTTER AND HIS SOULMATE WERE PROPELLED TO GREATNESS AFTER YOU SMASH IN THAT PRETENDER'S FACE. HELL, BLACK SHOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO DIE AT ALL! SAME GOES FOR THE LUPINS AND THE TONKS. EVEN YOUR FAMILY SHOULDN'T HAVE DIED! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH OF MY PAPERWORK GOT SCREWED UP!_** It exclaimed in one fell swoop. Ohkay, veerry chatty is Death. Better get her to get to the point or I'm going to be here for a while.

"And?" I ask, knowing now I'm going to be shafted into doing something for her, possible temporal changes pending.

**_AND FIRST, YOU NEED TO BE TRAINED AND FORGED INTO A WARRIOR. ONE WHO WOULD HAVE THE STRENGTH, THE CONVICTION TO FIGHT AGAINST IMPOSSIBLE ODDS. GO FORTH, MY AVATAR. AND WIN._ **

I felt my soul being stretched till it's impossibly thin and I gain a sensation of moving faster and faster until I feel time pass me not.

Then, after an infinity in time and space, I felt myself speed back up. Until I hit something solid.

My eyes shoot open as I cast panicked eyes around me.

"Hey there, take it easy" a small girl's voice pipes up next to me. I seem to be inside a military transport aircraft, going by the jump seats facing each other. And the guards dressed in olive green and having sidearms belted onto their sides.

I see a lot of kids, between the ages of four to nine. What's more concerning, all of them have a haunted, shell shocked look to them, eyes looking into the distance, seeing only something that they could see.

I turn to look at a little girl with black hair and violet eyes. She has a slightly sad smile to her and her eyes had the same haunted cast that everyone else had. At a guess, her age is about seven.

And suddenly, a flood of memories crash over me.

A fleet of sleek ships appearing over a helpless world.

Armoured monsters, with glowing blades and energy weapons, slaughtering entire cities.

A world being burnt by a beam of indescribable power, slowly morphing into glass.

A sudden lurch jars me from my thoughts and I gain a sensation of free fall.

" _MAYDAY, MAYDAY, THIS IS PELICAN-212, INBOUND TO CAMP CURRAHE! WE HAVE LOST ALL ENGINES! BRACE FOR EMERGENCY LANDING!"_ I heard the pilot scream into the radio. I feel the aircraft spin on its axis, as my stomach rose to my throat.

I felt my old power rush into me (Thank you, Death) and I could practically feel the energy thrum in my bones. I focussed through all the panicked screams and retching. I hit the snap-lock of my seat and launch myself out of my seat, a spell already on my lips.

" _ARRESTO MOMENTUM"_  I yell as I slam my hands down on the floor of the craft. Immediately, a jerk runs through the aircraft, stopping us in mid air. And I feel the immediate fatigue.

"Pilot, how far are we above the ground?" I ask, taking in all the dumb-founded expressions. The pilot is still looking at me like I am the Second Coming Of Merlin. Which, maybe I was.

"Pilot, I asked a  _question_ " I growl, allowing some of my magical aura to manifest in the form of a blue-white cloak.

Generally, auras come in 6 colours, with blue or blue white is the mark of a jack-of-all trade. Which I guess I was. Never excelling in anyone thing, but having a broad knowledge of everything.

Green is for healers. Red is for warriors. Violet is for seers.

And black?

Dark arts. 'Nuff said. Bloody crap scares the shit out of me.

The pilot, who shook herself off turned to look at her instrument panel.

"Um, we're about three thousand feet up" she says, her voice a little shaky. I nod.

"Oh, good. Protego Maxima" I intone. I can feel the energy shift from holding us aloft forming a protective shield.

And gravity exerted its hold on us all again.

Last I remember is a lot of weightlessness, a lot of screaming, mayday calls. Then, the sound of a large glass bowl shattering. I instinctively fire a cushioning charm on the bottom of the aircraft.

Because the next thing I was doing I was flying through the front canopy of the aircraft, smashing it to bits, then hitting the hard grey ground.

And then all was black.


	3. Introductions

_Introductions_

**Date:** N/A

**Time:** N/A

**Place:** N/A

I slowly felt my consciousness return to me, but I forced my eyes to remain closed. I stretched out my senses slowly, and heard a series of pops, fizzes and bangs.

"Huh, a localised EMP field. Impressive" muttered a female voice. She sounded...tired, but a keen, slightly cynical intelligence. I slowly tested my limbs to realise I was strapped down to a bed, with handcuffs locking my limbs in place.

Last time I was strapped down was when my wife and I felt like something kinky.

Heh, good times.

I returned my focus to my senses, and sensed only one person. Judging by their aura, she was in her mid-to-late thirties, and she had a mixed green and blue aura, with violet shot through.

Interesting... The last person to have that aura was Luna Longbottom. Scary woman that. Brilliant, but scary.

"You can stop pretending you're asleep you know" she said, her voice a strong alto. I opened my eyes to look into a pair of pale grey eyes, framed in a pretty face with blonde hair. And just for a moment...

" _Fleur?_ " I blurt out, my voice half hopeful, half fearful. She gave me an amused, sardonic smile. A smile I recognised, but knew it wasn't her.

"'Flower' in French. Not bad young man, though I think your compliments might not make an impact on me..." her voice trails off as my vision blurs. I feel a hiccupping sob break through and feel a warm, faintly maternal grip around my shoulders as I buried my head in her shoulders.

And I let my grief overwhelm me.

For now, I was truly alone.


	4. Training - I

_Training-I_

**Date:** 23/03/2543

**Time:** 0400 hours

**Place:** Training Grounds Bravo, Camp Currahee, Onyx

"Trainee 312, repeat the course again from start line Gamma" I hear Ackerson order on the radio. I nod and start jogging back to the start line of the 2 square kilometres urban combat training course located in Training Grounds Bravo, another 700 square kilometres of various combat scenarios we would face, ranging from desert, to urban to mountain and even included a mock up of a UNSC  _Marathon_ class-destroyer used for basic zero-G training. They even had a combat pilot training course.

They call it 'Candyland'. And I don't disagree.

Given my unique status as an 'energy-manipulator', I was subjected to everything they could throw at me. And I learnt a lot of new things.

Like the fact that magic can be measured in the form of electron-Volts and is created by a semi-sentient electromagnetic field surrounding the caster. Depending on the power level, imagination and the strength of will of the caster, it would do anything that it was willed to do. Except for things that are straight up against nature.

Like necromancy. That's why it corrupts the soul of such magicians and physically damages them. It's anathema to life and nature, thus to magic.

I made it to the start line, a mock up of a Pelican, set fifty feet above the ground. I Apparate into the structure and wait for the order, checking that my SPI armour was completely functional.

"GO!" I jump down the hatch and fire a cushioning charm on the ground. I use a 3-point landing, and then push off into a sprint as I keep my head on a swivel, the Weight Reduction Charm on my body allowing me to accelerate to 50 kilometres per hour.

As I rushed into a residential district, automated turrets, popping from random locations, opened fire. I summoned my energies to block the bullets as I tucked and rolled to cover behind a planter. As soon as the fire let up, I summoned a Fire Whip Curse and slashed at the turrets, causing atleast a few million in property damage.

"Head to Location Bravo. Armoured presence detected" comes the order over my head set, a visual of the target area appeared on my visor.

I tap my comm button twice before Disapparating to the location. Twenty feet above the column, I unleashed Blasting curses on them like they were going out of style.

Landing on top of the destroyed lead tank, I came under fire from a Pelican gunship, a missile detonating near my position blasting me off my feet. I flew through a partly destroyed shop front. Slightly stunned, I still managed to recover enough to gesture at a pile of rubble, transfiguring it into balloon filled with napalm and Banished it at the Pelican, detonating it from the impact. I struggled out of the shop front and looked around.

"312, we have an enemy SpecOps team heading towards our arty position on 3rd and West. Locate and terminate as per ROE" came in the orders as I was given an immediate image of the target area.

"Wilco" I reply, Apparating to the AO. The ROE for this engagement was non-lethal takedowns of all organic OPFOR.

I had just reached when I was shoulder-checked by a truck, I used the momentum to somersault. Landing on my feet, I knew I was in trouble.

Four Spartans, armoured in MJOLNIR powered armour were arrayed in front of me.

They had the numbers 087, 058, 043 and 117 stencilled onto their chest plates.

"Hostiles identified as Tier-1 team, callsign 'Blue'. You are to disable them immediately" came Ackerson's orders.

"Acknowledged" I reply, as I let out a brace of Stunners at them. 087 and 117 dodged the Stunners I sent their way, while 058 and 043 collapsed like marionettes with their strings cut.

Surprised by the collapse of their two teammates, the other two hesitated, giving me the perfect chance to lay on an attack. I saw 087's speed and decided to neutralise her by Summoning her into my right fist, knocking her out. I then launch another Stunner at 117, who dances out of its way and opens fire with his MA5K. I dodge out of his line of fire and launch another brace of Stunners, mixing in Disarming, Paralysing and Binding spells. I even throw in a Tickling Charm and a Cheering Charm for variety's sake.

One of the Disarming spells connected, causing the carbine to leap out of the Spartan's hands. 117 recovered fast enough to dodge the Binding spell, whipping out an M6 PDWS.

His ability to dodge my spells, his ability to avoid my attacks and still keep fighting. It was all adding up to an unusual picture.

As I dodged and closed on him I accessed one of my other abilities, mage sight. And what I saw shocked me.

He had a nimbus of energy glowing around him, coming from within him.

"He's a wizard!"I exclaim in surprise, my shock causing me to falter.

"Say again 312?" came the reply on the radio

117 took advantage of my shock and landed a haymaker on my chin, causing me to twirl on my axis. As I felt warm unconsciousness call me, I heard the two statements that sealed my life for the next 10 years.

"Congratulations Ackerson. Your pet project has been green-lighted by ONI and UNSC HIGHCOM" came the voice of Admiral Margaret Paragonsky, Commander In Chief of the Office of Naval Intelligence.


	5. Training - II

_Training-II_

**Date:** 02/05/2546

**Time:** 2007 hours

**Place:** Onboard UNSC ONI Prowler Silent Night

"Enroute to IP-1" came the voice from the bridge as I checked my M-pack and weapons. Satisfied, I tap my comm button twice to acknowledge it. I turn to look out of the Prowler's bridge windows as we approached the insertion point.

The mission was to locate and disable a Covenant supercarrier The Divine Will, in dry-dock and cause as much damage as possible, buying as much time for the evacuation of the outer colonies in the Eridanus sector.

To accomplish this, I was armed with the following.

An MA-37 assault rifle (suppressed).

An XM-12 gauss-energy assault rifle. A product of technomancy, built onto the frame of the MA-5B ICW, it had no moving parts. A xenon laser ionized-'painted'- the target, with a hydrogen based plasma bolt sheathing a TiC dart, striking it a femtosecond later.

A Gemino charm took care of ammunition, with a hydrogen fuel cell powering the device.

An M-6 Grindell Galilean Nonlinear rifle commonly known as the Spartan Laser.

Multiple ammo packs stored in various compartments along with nutritional supplements, essentially very high tech versions of Pepper up potions. Grenades, both regular fragmentation and a magical variant of a vacuum bomb.

A fixed edge combat knife.

A runic cloaking array of a combined Disillusionment charm and Silencing spells. All powered by the fusion reactor inside my armour. The design is a thing of beauty and its all mine.

With magic, we cut down the cost on making MJOLNIR armour to a fraction of it's astronomical value. Especially when I figured out how to enchant the machines that make the machines that make the armour.

The look on everyone's face, even Halsey, became one of my fondest memories.

There's even talk of developing a variant for non-augmented soldiers, increasing their survivability in combat.

And the coup de grace, an overcharged rune stone containing Fiendfyre. All it needed was a 4 runic code to be entered in sequence. Even muggles could use it, but it was to be deployed only for scorched earth tactics.

Overkill much?

Nah.

"Approaching IP-1. ETA 3 mikes" came the Captain's voice from the helm.

"Acknowledged" I reply as I head towards the airlock. I enter and the airlock cycled close behind me.

"Red light ready" at which the bulk head light turned red and the atmosphere was vented out.

"Green light, GO!" was the bark as I engage my M-pack heading to my target.

**Date** : 02/05/2546

**Time** : 2049 hours

**Place** : Approaching CSO - The Divine Will

I manuvered myself so that I could breach the atmospheric shielding of the ship's rear hold, activating my active camouflage as I come within visual range of the target. I observed the Elites giving orders to teams of Grunts, while a group of Engineers float around, fixing, rewiring and upgrading the Covenants' various space-capable crafts.

I conserved some fuel in the pack for a final burn. I use the last of it to slow my forward motion. I came into the hangar of the Covenant supercarrier at 0.07 kms/s. My armour's impact, even without the Silencing field around me, would have been lost in the hubbub of the hangar bay. I make my way to the fuel cells located along one side of the hangar. Placing explosives and arming them with a remote detonator, I head off towards the armoury. I stack up against the door, waiting for the approaching Elite Major. As soon as the door slid open, I tagged along behind him. I managed to follow along, booby trapping it with a vacuum bomb grenade.

I split off towards where my sensors were detecting slipspace radiation. I avoid all the foot traffic as I enter the aft section of Engineering. Where I locate my primary target, the array of slipspace engines. I scan the first one with my sensors, capturing and recording all the data onto a data crystal. After that, I duck under the engine and arm the Fiendfyre runic array. As I step back, I come face to face with the same Elite Major I had tagged along with.

Who was looking right at me.

I just recover as he yells a "Wort!". I summon the Sword and slam the blade in a thrust through his head.

"Major Watanee, report!" comes a voice over the radio. I learnt Sanghelli, the Elites' language by legilimency, ripping the information from his head before he died under interrogation.

I pick up and slot the radio into a port on my armour.

"Watanee here, nothing to report" I lie.

"Nothing to report indeed, Demon" I hear in reply.

I detonate the charges in response. The lower aft deck would now be a shambles.

I shoulder the XM-12 and store the Sword in its pocket dimension, opening fire on the engineering crew. I send a pulse of magic to the Fiendfyre rune, detonating it. A massive phoenix of black flame bursts into life, slagging the drives into nothing. The bird then turns to me, and I exert my will on it.

And it slams back at me, forcing me to a knee. With a growl, I wrest control away from it, making it submit to my will.

Burn them all I snarl at it, wrestling against the bird, caging and chaining it to my will.

In response, it let out an unearthly shrike, a mix of a hunting bird's cry and the screams of the damned. It then takes flight in front and above me, burning through the upper decks, frying anything that fell on it.

I rush out of engineering, opening fire on every target of opportunity. I see an enemy Banshee, hovering in front of me. I apparate onto its cockpit and shoot its pilot, a Jackal, killing it instantly. I then hijack the aircraft.

Flipping it over, I slam it through the gate, causing it's inertial dampeners to scream in protest. I fly it towards the bridge at Mach 5, which means eject now.

I somersault out of the aircraft as it slams into blast doors, denting it. The Fiendfyre phoenix slags the remainder.

I use the confusion to slip in, downloading the intel and detonating an e-bomb in the Covenant network as I do so. I then rush out of the bridge, heading to any of the evacuation pods.

I manage to get on the pod just in time for the ship to detonate.

"Silent Night, Bravo 312. Mission success. Transmitting intel now" I said, undocking and destroying the enemy radio . The bastards use trackers on everything, from plasma pistols to their CAS class assault carriers.

"Copy Bravo 312. Good work" came the voice of the Prowler's captain as I made my way to the extraction point.

Onboard the Prowler, I'm peremptorily told that I'm headed to Reach, as the  _Divine_   _Will_  was undergoing victualling before it was sent to Reach as part of a massive Covenant spearheaded towards Earth.

My job was to increase the defenses and join the forces on planet to bring a NAVSPECWARCOM Spartan Team to full strength. Their call sign was NOBLE.


	6. Homeward Bound

_Homeward bound_

**Date** : 30/08/2552

**Time** : 1957 hours

**Place** : Azod Ship breaking yard, Reach, Epsilon Eridani, Milky Way

Well, looks like this is it. Me against the world. Or in this case a planet sized invasion force of Covenant troops. Only good thing I can say is that my team survived and were on board the Pillar of Autumn.

I calmly reloaded my pistol with my last 30 rounds, waiting for the next wave of enemy forces. I had run out of ammunition for all my other weapons. As the first Sangheili appeared out of the dust, my pistol immediately whips up to open fire, summoning the Sword from it's dimension sheath. I then charge, beheading him. A Hunter bond-pair emerge, their arm cannons charging up a virulent green. Using the Sword as a focus, I launch a Withering curse at one, then apparate away from the point of impact of their rounds, onto the back of the second. I stab through its hump, causing the venom imbued into the Sword to take effect. I then backflip off of it, slashing off the legs of the Elite Zealot who was trying to sneak up on me. I then stab downwards into the Zealot's head, silencing his roars of pain.

I stand up to see a pack of Grunts open fire with Needlers,Plasma pistols and Fuel Rod Cannons. I just grunted ( I know, irony), and dodge and block the incoming fire. I Banished the remaining back at them, killing a few. I hit them with an AOE  _Bombarda_ , a  _Bombarda Maxima, mush_ _ing_ _the rest._

I was then tackled from behind, an Elite Field Marshal on top of me, his plasma sword ready to stab into me. I sweep the Sword across his neck, cutting his throat open. The tough bastard still stabbed me through the lungs. As he collapsed on me I activated my final failsafe.

A rune circle in New Alexandria, containing massive amounts of Soulfire, powered by the blood spilt on the land. Linked to my life force.

As I lay dying and saw the world become white, I thought that there are worse ways to go.

* * *

 

**Date** : 30/08/1988

**Time** : 1957 hours

**Place** : The Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole, Devon, Earth, Sol System, Local Interstellar Cloud, Local Bubble, Orion Cygnus Arm, Milky Way

"I've done all I can for him now. All he needs to do is wake up" I hear the voice of a person I thought long dead. I feel a cool palm press gently against my forehead, allowing me to get a whiff of perfume that I recognise from a long time ago. Healer Agnes, the little old lady who acted as a midwife and paediatrician for all of us Weasley's, had died back in 1996.

So, I'm back.

I use my Occlumency to shield my emotions from my mind, allowing me to compartmentalise them.

"Thank you Agnes, we appreciate all that you have done for him" came the voice of my dad, Arthur Weasley. I tighten the hold I have on my shields.

As they walk out of the room and shut the door, I open my eyes to a dark room. I run a quick diagnosis of myself, quickly determining that I was at my pre-augmented height of 5'3". And my head was sore. Felt like a concussion.

I wouldn't have been down and out like this if I had my augmentation.

Which means I will have to build Project Chrysanthemum from the ground up. And without ONI resources. I may need to improve on it too, as I doubt anyone would have Titanium-A or fusion reactors. Or you know, a MJOLNIR armour.

_Damn_.

Okay, checklist. First, find out what's the current date, location, political climate and major historical events. Second, determine allies and enemies. Who willingly fought for whom and why not if not. Recruit those who would willingly combat the bad guys without mercy. Soldiers, mercenaries and assassins. Third, build financial and political power base. Identify, subvert, eliminate and marginalize all threats. Fourth,...well my stomach growling in hunger is possibly the answer for that.

I make my way to the door unsteadily, my balance a little off from the concussion. I open the door, and look around me in puzzlement. This is most certainly not my room. I never stayed in the top floor of the Burrow.

Ok, food first. Figure out what's going on next.

As I make my way down, I hear voices from the dining room. Instinctively, I cast a Disillusionment, Silencing and Smell Suppression Charm on myself wandlessly.

"So Mum, how's Bill?" came a voice I vaguely recall. I hear my Mum, Molly Weasley, sigh.

"A concussion. Thankfully, Agnes was able to treat him immediately. Merlin only knows what would have happened otherwise"

The rest of it all fades away to a dull ringing, as I see my entire family alive and well, with  _Ron_  as the eldest Weasley brother.

I last saw them all executed by Dementors. And my occlumency didn't hold up now.

So, silently, while they enjoyed their meal, I wept. From joy, grief and rage. By the end of the meal, I vowed to myself.

Not this time. And if I had to stay in the shadows to get the job done, I will.

Voldemort would rue the day he heard about Spartans, as I summon the Sword to me.

I then head back to my room, an ice cold determination providing the strength to climb.

**RR!**


	7. Observations

  _Observations_

**Date** : 01/09/1989

**Time** : 0613 hours

**Place** : The Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole, Devon, England, Earth, Sol System, Local Interstellar Cloud, Local Bubble, Orion Cygnus Arm, Milky Way

While Ronald 'Ron' Weasley would never consider himself to be a Sherlock Holmes (his muggle born Ex had introduced him to the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), he knew something was up with his kid brother. After all, one doesn't become a trainee Hit Wizard by being dumb.

Said kid brother was currently lifting a sizeable block of wood and working his arms. Said work out had comprised of running a ten kilometre run (he had followed in the air), calisthenics in the form of push ups, jumping jacks, crunches, tai chi and katas. To end it all, a series of strength training exercises involving a wooden log and finally a fencing practice with a wooden sword.

After that, wandless magic practice by using Ron's own old textbooks. In two months, his then-eight year old brother had mastered levitation. Now, he was working on elemental manipulation. Air, water, fire, earth and spirit.

Worryingly enough, he was succeeding.

Said brother was also now antisocial. As in, Banish-of-your-feet-zero-tolerance-for-pranks-lock-himself-in-his-room-for-hours-and-respond-with-monosyllables-to-all-attempts-at-conversations-antisocial.

Everyone else dismissed it as a fall out from the concussion. Besides, with attention grabbers like Fred and George and baby Ginny, Bill slipped through the cracks. And Ron knew his father and he were constantly working at the Ministry and their mother had only so many hours in a day to control the chaos that was the Burrow.

Speaking of the Twins, their behaviour to their younger brother was approaching bullying. The only time Bill had gotten physical with them was when they had stolen a notebook of his. He tore apart their room to find it, and when they attacked him, he broke Fred's jaw and knocked out George.

When Mum had found out and tried to punish Bill, he snarled saying "You would punish me for recovering things stolen from me, but not the thieves?!"

Bill still got punished, and the Twins had taken to bullying him, speaking over him whenever he spoke, making sure he received no second helpings of any thing, stealing his credit and undoing anything he did.

And no matter what Ron did, they didn't back off.

Ron knew he would be glad to see the others off to Hogwarts, particularly the Twins. This way, he could spend time with his neglected brother.

"Ron? What's the matter?" Ron heard his father ask. Ron turned to see him dressed for work. Ron gestured out to his little brother, who was moving through the katas with a predatory grace, movements calm, precise and fluid.

"I'm worried about him" he says, without preamble, to which his father nodded.

"The one time he met Lucius Malfoy, he tore apart his opinions on blood purity. He explained something about dominant and recessive traits and how magic in muggleborns could very well be squibbed family lines having a resurgence due to magic reasserting itself as a dominant trait. So much so, that an Unspeakable project has been launched, and a whole research team comprised of Unspeakables, Saint Mungo's Healers and Gringotts Goblins are researching this. With Perkins and I being the only 'Muggle-experts', we've been studying more on muggle medical techniques" his father shook his head in disbelief " We're now trying to work out how to integrate magic into these techniques. We've just had a quantum jump in magical medicine in the space of a year, that we couldn't hope to achieve in a decade"

"Ohkay, wow. That's impressive" Ron said, his voice impressed.

His father wasn't finished though "What's more concerning is that he's more observant of his surroundings than he lets on. He holds himself not like a nine year old boy, all full of wonder and innocent naivety at the world, but like a war veteran, someone as skilled and experienced as Alastor, or even Amelia. Even your mentors', Dawlish and even Black are not as watchful as Bill is"

"You don't say" Ron commented thoughtfully, his voice holding a lot of concern for his brother, as he watched Bill begin his exercises in magic.

* * *

**Date** : 09/06/1990

**Time** : 0305 hours

**Place** : 12 kilometres away from The Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole, Devon, England, Earth, Sol System, Local Interstellar Cloud, Local Bubble, Orion Cygnus Arm, Milky Way

**_William 'Bill' Weasley POV:_ **

I had just enough time to tuck and roll as a Bludger came hurtling down to slam into the ground in front of me. Thank heavens for Supersensory charms.

I immediately stretch out my senses, mystical and mundane and detect two broom riders. I instinctively lash out with Disarming spells, knocking them off their brooms. And catching them with an  _Arresto Momentum_.

Because I recognised the magical signature, I thought with an angry growl. After all, they are responsible for much of my current misery with my family. Ron's intervention not withstanding.

"Is there a particular reason you tried to murder me, or have you graduated from pranks to actual physical harm?" I ask my twin brothers as I wandlessly bind them with an  _Incarcerous_.

"We want our brother back,  _pretender_. So get out of his body before we make you" I was quite startled by the level of malevolence in Fred's voice. George's affirming growl was just the icing on the cake.

Great, my own brothers don't recognise me.

I felt something like an alarm bell...oh shit! The wards!

Without preamble, I grab Tweedledum and Tweedlede and Apparate back to the Burrow.

* * *

_At the same time_

Marcus Jesperson was known throughout Ottery Saint Catchpole as a friendly man, a retired war veteran with the scars to match.

What wasn't well-known was that he was Fenrir Greyback's top sleeper agent and recruiter. And tonight was the night of the hunt.

He had selected his target carefully, the youngest Weasley brat. As he hid in the bushes, he took the vial of potion, a mixture of Wolfsbane and another potion, one that allowed him to morph outside the full moon, that their collaborators generously donated to the cause.

As he felt his body morph with the potion's power, he started viewing things from the eyes of a wolf. Sounds, smells and tastes were heightened. While his mind remained human.

He stalked out of the bushes, creeping into the house. Sniffing the air, alerted him to the presence of someone in the living room.

As he turned to look, a bludger-sized ball of air slammed into him, throwing him through the window.

On rolling upright, he looked to see one of the brats... ** _AND HE HAD A SWORD!_**

The worst part? The clinical detachment with which he was being observed. Eyes, wise and cold, eyes that should not belong on such a young face, were watching the were's movement.

Marcus tried to sidestep, but the boy adjusted, keeping Marcus in front of him.

Shrugging to himself, the were decided to turn the boy too.

He lunged forward, and the boy  _blurred._

A sharp burning pain along his neck was the first warning that Marcus received that he had been beheaded.

His head toppling off under his body was his last.

* * *

"Hello,  _Death._  Finally came for a chat?" I growled at the cowled wraith in front of me.

I wanted answers.

_Now._


	8. The Mission

_The Mission_

**Date** : 09/06/1990

**Time** : 0315 hours

**Place** : The Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole, Devon, England, Earth, Sol System, Local Interstellar Cloud, Local Bubble, Orion Cygnus Arm, Milky Way

_**William 'Bill' Weasley POV:** _

I stiffened on feeling the familiar psychic presence.

"Hello, Death. Finally came for a chat?" I growled at the cowled wraith in front of me.

I wanted answers.

Now.

* * *

**_NOW, LET'S BE REASONABLE_**  Death tries to say in a placating voice.

" ** _REASONABLE?! I'VE BEEN SENT BACK TO BEGIN HELL ALL OVER AGAIN, WATCH MY WIFE, MY FAMILY AND MY BEST FRIENDS DIE ALL OVER AGAIN! AND YOU WANT ME TO BE REASONABLE?!_** " I roar in rage at her. I can see all my memories flash by, the nightmares that plague me every night, necessitating a Permanent Silencing Ward on my room to keep in the screaming.

The Wedding Massacre. The Horcrux Hunt. The Fall of Hogwarts. Tonks's sacrifice at Salisbury as she covered our retreat. The War for France. The Inferi Plague of Europe. The Fiendfyre Storm of China. The Coup of Russia. The Hellmouths in Southeast Asia, where I lost Fleur. The Dementor's Kiss of Australia. The Invasion of the Americas. Hermione's Sacrifice, buying us time in Washington DC with her life. Harry setting up an epic duel with Voldemort, only to be cut down by Parkinson. The systematic destruction of all of the Resistance, until it was down to me and the Malfoys'.

Funnily enough, the Human-Covenant War, which was just as bad, didn't affect me as much. Proximity, probably.

I look back to see Fred and George frozen in a fearful, gibbering posture. I then notice that the head of the werewolf was still to land on the ground, his face frozen in shock.

"You stopped time, didn't you?" I asked her, on making these observations.

**_YES. I DON'T WANT ANY INTERRUPTIONS_**  Death replied, as she waved a negligent hand. As if stopping a fundamental force in the universe was an everyday occurence.

**_I WOULD FIRSTLY LIKE TO APOLOGISE TO YOU WILLIAM_**  she said, her tone contrite. She continued  ** _I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO PROVIDE YOU WITH YOUR ETERNAL REST AND GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO BE WITH YOUR BELOVED WIFE AGAIN. BUT YOU WERE NEEDED, AS MY AVATAR, BOTH IN THE WORLD I SENT YOU TO, AND HERE. THANKS TO YOUR EFFORTS AND KNOWLEDGE, MANKIND HAS SUCCESSFULLY TAKEN ON THE MANTLE OF RESPONSIBILITY, EXPANDING THROUGHOUT THE GALAXY, BRINGING THE ERSTWHILE COVENANT RACES INTO THE FOLD AND SUBDUING THE REMAINING MILITANT FORERUNNERS AS WE SPEAK._**

"And here?" I ask, as warm, sweeping, glorious relief makes me weak in the knees.

**_AND THAT IS WHY I SENT YOU HERE_** commented Death, pointing at the beheaded werewolf.

"Werewolves? You do know that I was part-were, right?" I say, meaning to be sarcastic, but sounding bitter.

At this, Death heaved a sigh and shifted. In place of an eight foot tall, cowled figure, a five foot three, sixteen year old goth girl with black hair materialised. She was dressed in a black spaghetti top, black distressed jeans and a top hat. This was...well different.

"Not everyone gets to see the real me" she said, with a negligent shrug of her shoulders, a small smile on her face.

"I'm honoured?" I ask, lacing it with a bit of sarcasm, trying to get her back on track. Death quirks an eyebrow, then nods, as if coming to a decision. She reaches forward and flicks my forehead.  _Hard_.

A deluge of information is downloaded into my brain. Flashes of images. A pretty, redheaded girl with jade green eyes and a vicious scar along her cheek, forming an angular 'S'. I watched her age and blossom into beauty in front of my eyes, the scar barely detracting from it, saw us become friends, and even lovers.

Until I, in a moment of inattention, was cut down before her by Bellatrix Lestrange. And the redhead snapped.

She cut a swathe of death among the Death Eaters, raining Killing Curses on them like it was going out of style. When she confronted Voldemort, he didn't stand a chance. Torture curse after torture curse, the sheer weight of her rage was suffocating. Until Hermione tried to stop her. She lashed out at everyone. Mastering the Three Hallows, she bent death to her will.

Within a decade, she was the only living thing on Earth. Within a century, the galaxy. And all those souls were offered up by her, to bring me back to life. Until she started killing for the sake of it, and wanted to watch the universe burn.

I saw civilisations shattered, worlds burnt and star systems collapsed under her power. Finally, she entered a chrysalis, evolving into an unstoppable being of living Fiendfyre, eyes glowing with red, virulent power as she set her sights on the rest of the universes.

So much carnage and sorrow, brought about by one stupid mistake.

I collapsed to my knees, my eyes nearly popping out of my head, my chest heaving.

"It is to prevent this from happening that I sent you here" Death commented calmly. I struggle to my feet, looking up at her.

"And no, you may not kill her, for she is the key to a better future for the entire universe" she comments immediately. Honestly, the thought did cross my mind. A preemptive strike, taking her out, would save an untold billions of lives.

I shake away the thought, though it niggles away at the back of my mind. I already began planning contingency measures, should she breakdown so spectacularly.

Death sighed and grabbing my chin, made me look into her eyes "No, you will not. You will do everything in your power to protect her. Understood? That is your mission,  _Spartan_ "

That snapped me to attention "Orders, ma'am?" I asked, standing in attention.

"Your mission has three main objectives: First, to protect Hydrangea Potter. Second, the destruction of Tom Riddle and his Death Eaters. And last and most important, reintegrate muggles and magicals under a common banner. You have carte-blanche on how you achieve your objectives. Use any and all means necessary to get these three objectives achieved, clear?" Death asked at the end of her orders.

"Yes ma'am!" I reply. She nodded and morphed back into an eight foot tall spectre.

**_GOOD HUNTING SPARTAN_**  she said before vanishing away.

"Y... you...c..c..cut it's _head off!"_ I hear Fred say. I turn around to look at the dead werewolf and my gibbering brothers.

I don't have time to deal with this.

" _Evanesco_ " I growl at the corpse, vanishing it. I stalk over to my brothers' and gesture at them, tying them up.

I look them in the eyes and growl out one word.

" _Obliviate_ "


	9. Persuasion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Macnair makes his move.

_Persuasion_

 

**Date** : 12/08/1990

 

**Time** : 1912 hours

 

**Place** : Seoci village, Gornji Vakuf, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Europe, Earth, Sol System, Local Interstellar Cloud, Local Bubble, Orion Cygnus Arm, Milky Way

 

_**Fenrir Greyback's POV:** _

 

Trudging up along the hill, Greyback couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

 

_Five kills and three new ascended_ he thought as he patted his full belly. So sure in his security, he missed the ice-chip blue eyes watching him.

 

As he entered the cave leading to the abandoned mine where his pack was taking shelter, he stiffened, smelling humans among his pack, along with the smell of cordite, brass and werewolf blood.

 

Willing himself to change forms, Greyback slunk along the ground. As he stuck his  nose around a corner, he saw what was happening.

 

His entire pack, rounded up, on their knees with their hands on their heads. They were surrounded by heavily armed Muggles, all pointing automatic rifles at them. Machine-gun mounted jeeps surrounded them, setting up a crossfire

 

In one corner, from one of the catwalks hung the naked body of his mate, Kayla. She had literally been chopped to pieces by their rifles. Only one person was capable of such senseless brutality.

 

" _Macnair!_ " Greyback bellowed as he charged a group of muggles. Before they could react, he tore all five of them apart. Before he could go any further, a shotgun blast blew him off of his feet.

 

Stunned, he almost didn't hear the cold laughter as Macnair strode up to him, shotgun in one hand, a squirming sack in the other.

 

"My, my Greyback. That wasn't very hospitable of you now was it? Your mate, now  _she_  was a proper hostess. Kept my men entertained till the end. Though she wasn't very willing initially, she got into it soon enough" he gestured at the squirming sack. Tossing it towards one of his men, he made his way towards where Greyback lay.

 

" _I'm going to kill you Macnair!"_ Greyback growled.

 

Macnair quirked an eyebrow at that, then called out a command in flawless Russian. A language Greyback understood quite well.

 

"Otkrytyy ogon!"  _Open Fire!_

 

The mercenaries opened up. The massacre lasted fifteen seconds. The entire pack was hacked apart into limbs and organs. The bitter tang of blood, already in the air, was now thick enough to choke him.

 

"One more word out of your mouth and your cubs will be next" Macnair said, his voice cold and clinical. Once he was assured that Greyback would remain silent, he continued, "Dear Lucius and Amadeus are slipping away from the fold. Our friends are concerned and wish to put a stop to it by reminding them why they cannot leave.  _You_ will be that instrument"

 

"And don't worry. Your... _cubs_  would be well looked after until then" Macnair continued.

 

"Do we have a deal?" he asked. To which Fenrir nodded to mutely.

 

" _Excellent_ " Macnair hissed with a toothy smile.

 


	10. First Year Begins: Platform Nine-and-three-quarters

_First Year Begins: Platform Nine-and-three-quarters_

**Date** : 01/09/1991

**Time** : 0900 hours

**Place** : King's Cross, Euston Road, London, Greater London, UK, Earth, Sol System, Local Interstellar Cloud, Local Bubble, Orion Cygnus Arm, Milky Way

_**William 'Bill' Weasley's POV**_ :

"Nine and three quarters Mum! Oh please, can I go too Mum!" as I listened to my sister try to wheedle her way with my Mum. I forgot how much I missed her and her bratiness.

_Oh I missed this_  I thought to myself as I let myself sigh. After the obliviate, Fred and George were more than improved. Sure, they still pranked me, but it was mostly brotherly joshing and _not_ attempted murder.

"Alright Bill, you're next" my mother urged me on with a gentle push. I nod sharply and stride confidently into the barrier.

The platform is just like I remember it. Crowded, the atmosphere thick with steam and  _loud._

My vision starts tinting red as my breathing quickens.  _Dammit_ , I should have focused on Project: CHRYSANTHEMUM over the MJOLNIR Mk XVI design and the XM-12 rifle. Atleast I would have had the chemicals in my system to deal with my enochlophobia.

I focus on my breathing as I push my way through the crowd, my vision tinting red despite my best efforts.

A mirror flashed sunlight in my face, owls hooted and the warning whistle blew. And suddenly I was back on Sigma Octanus IV, inserted behind enemy lines to cull an Insurrectionist cell.

I could still feel my heart trying to leap out of my mouth as I ran to the exfiltration point. I was being chased by a group of Covvie Elites, part of the invaders that had landed in force. I had been in country for a month, my orders evolving as the situation demanded.

I managed to secure intelligence from their main base, razed it to the ground with the help of a NOVA nuclear warhead and got jumped by a Covvie Jackal patrol as I Apparated out.

Who called in the Elites. All of whom were eager for my head.

" **Hey**  watch _ **it**_  !" someone said, the voice a mix of guttural Sanghelli and King George's English. And my vision went red.

The next thing I knew was my throat was raw, my right foot was on the chest of Sirius Black, Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, and the Sword was a millimetre from his right eye. Which was wide and his skin was the colour of bad milk. My hand was glowing with the crimson red of a Bombarda. The entire area was very quiet. I looked up to see everyone looking on me, stunned silence freezing the very air in place.

I quickly dispell the wandless spell and dismiss the Sword into its pocket dimension.

"Sorry. Don't like crowds. Or loud noises" I muttered as an apology as I pulled out his wand and handed it to him. I grabbed my trolley and made my way to the back of the train, the crowd parting silently around me.

_Get your head in the game Spartan_  I admonish myself as I get in and privacy ward my compartment to hell and back.

* * *

_**Sirius Black's POV**_ :

_Well, that was different_  mused Sirius as he rubbed at the bruise on his chest.

Sirius had been accompanying his best friend James Potter, James's wife Lily, and their kids Hydrangea 'Heidi' Jane Potter and Harry James Potter, who were going to their first year to Hogwarts, when a four month pregnant Lily was nearly bowled over by a red headed teenager.

All Sirius was trying to do was put the Fear Of God into the kid, get a sniveling apology and send him off with a flea in his ear.

What he hadn't expected was a  _roar_  of rage, an iron grip on his left wrist, a punch to his solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him. Followed by what could only be a  _wandless_ Disarming Charm, Sirius being thrown onto the ground, and a sword pointing right near his right eye and a wandless Blasting Curse ready in his left.

The most terrifying part? The kid's eyes were blank, looking on Sirius as if he were a bug to be stepped on.

The only person he had seen with those kind of eyes were John Dawlish, Head of the Counter Intelligence Division, Auror Corps.

"You ok Pads?" said James as he patted his brother in all but blood's shoulder. Sirius turned to look at him.

"Did you see that kid? The redhead?" he asked in reply. Prongs nodded grimly.

"Yeah" he replied, his thoughts running.

"I'm going to warn Heidi and Harry to stay the hell away from him. Kid's not stable" continued James as he made his way to his kids.

"Yeah" murmured Sirius, as he tried to figure the slight flash of emotion he had seen in the kid's eyes as his wand was returned to him.

Just as the train pulled out, after giving goodbyes to his goddaughter and her brother, he figured it out.

_Sadness._

_But sad about what?_ he mused to himself as they left the platform.


	11. First Year Begins: The Hogwarts Express

_First Year Begins: The Hogwarts Express_

**Date** : 01/09/1991

**Time** : 1237 hours

**Place** : Onboard the Hogwarts Express, 137 kilometres of the outskirts of Greater London, UK, Earth, Sol System, Local Interstellar Cloud, Local Bubble, Orion Cygnus Arm, Milky Way

_**Draco Malfoy's POV:** _

Draco Malfoy was a confused young man. Or was it boy? He wasn't too sure really.

He had recurring dreams. Of the Dark Lord returning, a world being burnt to ashes on the altar of a madman. He dreamt of being married to the Greengrass heiress, as a means to protect her family and her from the Dark Lord's pogroms. He dreamt of them having a child, a lovely little boy called Scorpius.

He dreamt of the Dark Lord coming one day, and taking away their precious boy from them for his own vile purposes.

And he dreamt of meeting a much older, much battlescarred William Weasley, the last member of The Resistance. Becoming his agent among the ranks of the Death Eaters.

He dreamt of Daphne and he escaping via Portkey from the Dark Lord's accursed base as William went further into the base to end it all.

_And the world was engulfed in a white fire._

He then dreamt of another burning world. Of monstrous, alien shapes invading. Of a top-secret multi government program.

Terror Attacks, Sectoids, Chryssalids, Cyberdiscs, Mutons, _Ethereals_.

Of a man, shrouded in shadow, his voice deep and resonant.

" _Welcome to X-COM_ "

"Leave us"came a cool, feminine voice, not yet matured to adulthood, but showing hints of the smoky, sensual register it would become.

He started at the familiar voice and turned to look at a young girl, about eleven years old, with raven black hair and cerulean blue eyes, sparkling with joy. Crabbe and Goyle looked at him for directions as he tried to place this girl.

"Go on, boys. I think I should be perfectly fine with Heiress Greengrass" he said, his voice calm and even as his memory struggled as to why that happy, impish expression was making his heart thrum.

As the two boys left, Greengrass threw up silencing and warding spells to make sure that no one entered or eavsdropped on them.

" _Heiress_ Greengrass, Drake? Have you completely forgotten me?" she asked, her voice sad, her expression downcast and resigned as she turned to him, her wand still drawn. Draco cursed his stupidity for dropping his guard around the girl. He was frantically thinking of how to get out of this mess, when he said.

"Holly" at which he looked at her in puzzlement at the non-sequitur, then his confusion drained away as he  _remembered_.

"Phoenix" he replied, and the dam broke. Memories of both his lives rush into his head, causing him to fall to his knees.

" _Daffy?_ " he whispered in disbelief, as his now-remembered wife rushed up to him. A bright, teary smile broke out on her face.

"Yes Drake. It's me" she said as she held him. He clutched onto her like a drowning man, his anchor in a storm tossed sea.


	12. First Year Begins: The Sorting

_First Year Begins: The Sorting_

**Date** : 01/09/1991

**Time** : 1835 hours

**Place** : Onboard the Hogwarts Express, 11 kilometres out from Hogsmeade Station, Scotland, UK, Earth, Sol System, Local Interstellar Cloud, Local Bubble, Orion Cygnus Arm, Milky Way

**Soundtrack for this chapter: Harry Potter movie theme**

_**William ' Bill' Weasley's POV:** _

I waited until the last person got off the train. I then undid the charms on the door and opened it, only to end up being confronted by the last two people I expected.

Hermione Granger and Hydrangea Potter.

And they were the last two people I wanted to meet. At all.

"Well, stop gawping and come on! Or we'll miss the boats!" said Hermione, her tone authoritarian. Or giving the impression of trying to be authoritarian. Honestly, eleven year old Hermione Granger is  _adorable_. All frizzy hair, buck teeth, serious expression and flashing brown eyes. I honestly wanted to pat her on the head and give her cookies. Its only my memories of the formidable battle witch she was and would become that stopped me.

Hydrangea, a Lily Evans in miniature except for the blasted Horcrux scar, it's foul presence grating on my fine tuned magical senses, nodded in agreement saying " We'll miss the Sorting! Now come on!" Working as one, both girls grabbed one hand each and dragged me out of the compartment.

Now, normally grabbing me, in any way, shape or form would be a death sentence. But these two caught me completely off-guard.

Before I knew it, we had joined the firsties at the quay and got onto a boat with both girls sitting on either side of me, still holding onto each hand.

While we were travelling, I regained control of myself as I got over my surprise, having to scrap and rework my plans to protect the two in Hogwarts.

I had planned to conduct shadow surveillance and close protection, meaning I had no intentions of getting  _emotionally_  close to either of them.

Well, the best laid plans of mice and men and all that.

I heaved a sigh, at which both the girls looked at me in concern. I shot them a wry smile and shook my head, cutting off their words.

Hagrid called from the front, saying we'd get our first glimpse of Hogwarts as we turned around a bend. And then, there she was.

Hogwarts Castle. Atop a cliff, her stone turrets thrown into shadow, while braziers and torches dotted it's walls, casting warm light around the structure. And then I felt it.

The wards.

Even when they weren't completely activated, they were powerful. The most prominent was the anti-apparation and anti-portkey wards. Although they weren't activated, I could still make out the wards against ill-intent, the wards against dark artefacts and the anti-siege wards. From what I could feel, they were nasty and imaginative enough to give the Black wards a run for their money.

Underneath it all, was a subtle compulsion charm, woven into the fabric of the wards. It was meant to make the people, especially the new firsties, to think of this as a second home.

I shrugged it off. This wasn't _home_. This was an operational area, meaning I would need all my wits about me.

I casually scanned around as I took in everything. I noticed a mop of blond hair in one of the boats as we approached the mouth of the cove.

Huh, I wonder if this is a sea water loch?

We managed to make our way onto the shore and climbed a flight of stairs and we then entered an antechamber and received by McGonagall.

I heard her whole 'your house is your family' speech. I believe she has always said the same speech every time. Thankfully, the three of us were in the back, so my enochlophobia was under control.

And they still haven't let go of my hands.

" Ok ladies, while I appreciate your assistance, would you mind telling me  _why_  you're still  _holding my hands?"_  I say as I tried to extricate my hands from them. At which they tightened their grip.

"Your brothers' mentioned that you were antisocial, but Merlin, we can't be that bad!" commented Hermione as she switched hands tucking her left arm under my right. Hydrangea did the same with my left arm as she nodded.

"Yeah, they're worried you won't make any friends, at all. So, they asked us to help" she commented from my left. I was just about to reply to her comments, especially the part where she knew my brother's, when we were cut off by everyone's startled shrieks on the arrival of the ghosts. My vision was tinted red, but I managed to regain control over myself just in time.

McGonagall came in to shoo off the ghosts, made us form into a line and told us to follow her.

Hydrangea stood ahead of me, holding both my hands in hers, Hermione behind me, her hand gripping my pants. Honestly, I felt a bit like a meat in between a sandwich.

We then marched off to our destin... _ahem_...our Sorting.

* * *

We stood in a line in front of a three legged stool, on top of which was set a frayed, moth-eaten hat. Everybody in the hall stared at it as if it held the answers to the universe.

And I guess it did for some of them.

After it's little ditty to not underestimate it's power, McGonagall started calling out first is by surname, alphabetically ascending order.

Most were predictable, but a few surprises were in store for us.

"Greengrass, Daphne" and "Malfoy, Draco" were sorted into Gryffindor. Which was a bit of a shock. To everyone it seemed, as there was pin-drop silence on their Sorting, barring Dumbledore, who enthusiastically clapped for them. Which kind of made the whole thing more sad.

"Granger, Hermione" also was in Gryffindor, and was loudly greeted by Fred and George, with a darker haired, older version of Hermione who was sitting inbetween my brothers pulling her into an enthusiastic hug. For some reason, the Ravenclaws weren't enthused. Some looked ... _disappointed?_

Ok, alternate reality. Anything is possible.

Then it came to,

"Potter, Harry" which resulted in a shaggy haired young boy to march over confidently to the Sorting Hat.

Which immediately decided.

"Gryffindor!" the Hat exclaimed. To applause.

Followed by,

"Potter, Hydrangea" which was followed by a mutinous mutter of "Heidi. It's Heidi. I swear mother's should be taken..." The rest of what she said was lost as she plopped down onto the chair, the Hat covering her from the nose up. And we waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

Until finally...

"Gryffindor!" She seemed to fly to her new best friend in relief as soon as the Hat was taken off her.

The two of them cuddled up together as Heidi took comfort from Hermione, while Harry awkwardly patted her hand.

I dragged my attention away from the two girls who were my protected, and decided to scratch all my original plans to get Sorted into Slytherin and do a whole shadow protection routine.

I was coming home.

As I heard McGonagall call, "Weasley, William" I took a breath and marched over to the Hat.

I saw everyone's faces looking at me, before the Hat was placed on my head. And tiny voice, filled with compassion and concern, spoke in my head, saying,

' _Oh dear me_ ' it said as it began to run the highlights of the Second Blood War and the Human-Covenant War.

' _Very well then. You're in GRYFFINDOR!_ "

* * *

**Date** : 01/09/1991

**Time** : 2119 hours

**Place** : The Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland, UK, Earth, Sol System, Local Interstellar Cloud, Local Bubble, Orion Cygnus Arm, Milky Way

_**John 'Corvus' Dawlish's POV:** _

John stood in front of the fireplace, gazing deeply into it's embers, each crack of orange flame telling it's own story. Some true, some... not so true.

The door to the office opened, admitting in Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape and Bartameius Crouch Junior. John turned and nodded to Barty, callsign 'Epsilon' and Severus, callsign 'Gamma', as he vocally greeted his former mentor.

"Albus. You were right" he said as he walked over to the old spymaster. The man who practically was the intelligence and counter-intelligence arm of the magical side of the Allied Forces heaved a deep, sad sigh.

"Quirell is possessed?" he inquired, his voice steady, yet sad. The same man who had ruthlessly culled the ranks of the Allies for Axis informants and planted his own spies deep inside enemy territories had an unbelievable amount of empathy. He also had a vicious streak a few miles wide, as Grindelwald had learner as his empire burnt around him.

"Very much so" John replied in agreement as he took out a device from his cloak and handed it over to Albus as Barty and Severus gathered around. A quick glance around reassured John that his mentor hadn't slackened in OPSEC and PERSEC when he saw the portraits had been frozen and a Cone of Silence had been created around them.

The fact that all four were oath bound to not reveal anything on Operation: Sisyphus without consensus of the other three helped ensure OPSEC and PERSEC.

The three men went over the readings carefully, which measured the influence and quality of a soul.

"Huh, it seems Heidi isn't affected by it" commented Barty, to which Severus muttered " _Thank Merlin_ " which elicited a small smile on John's face.

" Why I never thought you'd be concerned about Heidi Potter, Severus!" Albus teased gently, to which Severus shook his head.

"She's my best friend's child,  _of course_  I'll be concerned for her. I joined those damn bastards to keep her safe" he replied, his voice having a slight edge to it.

"It's alright Gamma, we'll keep her safe" replied Barty, to which Severus curtly nodded.

"What do you advise John?" asked Albus, looking at him.

"We need to catch him red-handed. I'm glad we privacy warded the Corridor and didn't announce it to the school. This way, we can set up an ambush for him when he comes for it. I think we're as ready as we can be Albus" replied John, to which Albus gravely replied.

"Very well then gentlemen. Phase 1 is a go. We will now monitor the situation and take action as required. Good night" to which the three younger men nodded and began filing out of the room as soon as the privacy ward was dropped. John was about to leave when he turned around and asked the question that he always wanted the answer for.

"Albus, when are you coming back? If what we have is correct, we need the Monk back" to which John got a wry smile as a reply as Albus said.

"The days of The Monk have been over for a decade. The time of Corvus, the Crow, is now. Goodnight John" he said as he looked out of the window, the dismissal clear in the gesture.

"Goodnight Albus" John sighed as he closed the door behind him.


	13. First Year Begins: The First Day (Part 1)

_First Year Begins: The First Day (Part 1)_

**Date** : 02/09/1991

**Time** : 0430 hours

**Place** : The Room of Requirement, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland, UK, Earth, Sol System, Local Interstellar Cloud, Local Bubble, Orion Cygnus Arm, Milky Way

_**William 'Bill' Weasley's POV:** _

I am glad that somethings haven't changed.

The Room of Requirement was still on the seventh floor corridor of the Castle, alongside the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. I woke up at my usual time to realise that I needed to keep the level of my training a complete secret. And to ensure that, I needed a completely secure location to conduct it.

A password protected training ground, possibly the only configuration of the room that was absolutely secure and accessible only by me.

Before I died fighting for the UNSC, NOBLE team and I were read into Project: INFINITY, a super carrier capable of going toe-to-toe with any CSO and CCS class ship the Covenant had. What caught our attention of the design was very simple and singular.

"Spartan deck configuration. Authorisation code: Onyx" I ordered the door that had formed in front of me.

"Authentication complete. Welcome Spartan William Bravo Three One Two" came a robotic, feminine voice as the doors parted with a pneumatic hiss.

I walked through the doors into the visualised space of the UNSC  _Infinity's_  S-Deck or Spartan Deck. Rows upon rows of automated MJOLNIR armour assembly stations were placed along the first 500 metres. From there was the armoury, stocked with weapons and ammunition. A keypad locked door led to a secondary section of the armoury for our technomagical needs. Finally, a massive holographic tank allowed for realistic training exercises. Around this were the bunks for all off-duty Spartans, the mess halls and the gyms.

The  _Infinity_  was to carry four squadrons of Spartan fireteams, a battalion strength formation, all under the command of the senior Spartan commander.

I just prayed that John was in charge of such a formation. Or Carter. They would have the necessary skill set and experience for such a unit.

_Now, time to face one of my personal demons_  I think to myself as I step into the holotank.

"Bring up scenario, Operation: Torpedo" I order. The holotank shimmered and I was back with my brother and sister Spartans of Beta Company.

Back to the war.

I roll my shoulders as I step forward into the crucible that was Pegasi Delta, where I lost the entirety of my second family.

* * *

**Date** : 02/09/1991

**Time** : 0730 hours

**Place** : The Great Hall, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland, UK, Earth, Sol System, Local Interstellar Cloud, Local Bubble, Orion Cygnus Arm, Milky Way

My hands shook from the adrenaline pumping through me as I spoon some porridge into a bowl.

No matter how many After Action Reports I would read, no matter how many times I would rerun the entire scenario, I was coming short of how to convert that _massacre into something usable_.

It was a complete FUBAR. From start to finish, the mission was screwed up completely. Its a testament to how hard Beta Company fought to ensure that mission success was achieved. And the fact that two of them, Tom B-292 and Lucy B-091 survived with only Lucy having suffered from post-traumatic vocal disarticulation was a miracle.

I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn't even realised I had been ambushed before it happened.

"And why did you not wait for us when you had  _promised_ you would?" came an irate female voice on my left. I turn to see Hydrangea Potter in all her raging glory. Face red, emerald eyes piercing me like emerald lasers, her red hair glowing in the morning sunlight. Behind her stood Hermione, her jaw set and determined, her amber eyes cold in rage, Draco Malfoy, looking utterly bewildered and wondering what the hell was going on, and Daphne Greengrass, looking regally amused, while Harry was looking at me like I was the second coming of Merlin.

"I did no such thing" I replied bluntly, my emotions all over the damn place already after the morning I had. And if I had made such a promise, I would have remembered it.

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say.

"When we told you that we would go together down for breakfast, what _did_ you say? You said 'okay'. And then you went up to your dormitory. We had to ask your brothers where you were! And they couldn't even find you!" Hermione hissed at me. Considering that she wasn't even the Parselmouth, it was pretty impressive.

As I opened my mouth to reply, Fred and George clamped a hand down on both of my shoulders.

"Bill, it's not safe to go wandering around the castle alone, especially as a firsty" said Fred, his face and tone serious for the first time in ever.

"Even we never wandered around the place alone, we always went everywhere together" commented George, his face genuinely concerned.

The calm tone in which they say it, that gets my blood boiling. Of course Percy had to go and stick his oar in, his voice sanctimonious and condescending, looking at me over his horn-rimmed glasses.

"Wandering around Hogwarts alone? Bill, you know it's dangerous! You must stay in the common room until I come to collect you" he ordered, expecting me to behave like a good little lamb.

_Fuck_ _that._  I was already combat acclimatised at this age while I was part of the UNSC, augmented a few months later and wiped out my first Insurrectionist camp as soon as I recovered.

Four months and 43 missions later, I earned the tag 'hyper-lethal'.

These  _children_  had no idea who they were dealing with.

My magic slipped from my control as I stood up, my rage causing the entire air pressure around me to multiply, forcing everyone down on their knees.

"You  _are not_ my _keepers_ " I said, my voice layered with my anger, my aura, which had been suppressed, manifesting in a red cloak shot through with black wrapping around me.

Way to keep it on the down low Spartan.

And that's why we are kept on cryosleep unless we are needed. We're weapons. Weapons don't make nice with other people, don't have hopes, dreams, ambitions, loves and fears. All we have is the mission. We are pointed in the direction of the enemy and told to kill them. Full stop.

I glared at all of them, snatch a class schedule out of McGonagall's hands, then strode out of the Great Hall.

* * *

**Date** : 02/09/1991

**Time** : 0842 hours

**Place** : The Owlery, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland, UK, Earth, Sol System, Local Interstellar Cloud, Local Bubble, Orion Cygnus Arm, Milky Way

My rage had calmed down by the time I had reached the Owlery, but I was feeling embarrassed that I had lost control over myself like that in the Great Hall, and a strong desire to avoid contact with everyone.

I sighed, looked down at my schedule and saw that Transfiguration was the first class at 0900 hours. I brush myself down, straighten out any wrinkles in my cloak, then make my way to the Transfiguration classroom.

I reach it with 4 minutes to spare. Seeing the occupied seats in the front three rows and the tabby laying on the table, flicking its tail from side-to-side, I head to a middle seat in the fourth row.

Damn, Voldemort did a real number on the magical population. At a guess, the course strength was about 40.

"Good morning class. My name is Minerva McGonagall and I teach Transfiguration" came the Scottish burr of Professor McGonagall, amid the amazed gasps of the students as she changed out of her Animagus form. And before I knew it, I was caught up in a flashback of The Battle Of Hogwarts, Version 1.

_I look up to see a plague of Dementors heading to our forward defensive lines along the Black Lake. The Giant Squid tried swatting them off their flight path, and paid for it when one of the giant's of the Dark Side brought down a club on it, repeatedly until a purple foam formed on the surface of the lake._

_"Expecto Patronum!" Fleur cast at the Dementors, her spell carefully enunciated as her kite Patronus took wing, pushing the power of the Dementors back. On some unseen signal, the Death Eaters launched a barrage of spells at our lines. Reductors, Bombardas, AKs, Bone Breakers et al. We countered with AOE spells, Bombardas, Siege Engine spells. Even the few Slytherins who had stayed to fight were using dark curses to kill as many of the onrushing horde._

_"Hold the line!" ordered the strong voice of Neville Longbottom as he held the line together, directing spell fire on enemy clusters and calling out targets for the defenders._

_I took a second to look around and could see the Northern and Western defensive lines were also under attack._

_Attackers and defenders knew that if Hogwarts fell, the war was won for the Dark Side._

_So, we mustn't lose here._

_"Bombarda Maxima!" I cast at the right eye of the giant in the lake, instantly blinding it. The entire right side of the creature's face exploded._

_I continue casting spells at the DE until I hear a mad cackle. I suppress my urge to shiver in fear on hearing it._

I snap out of it as McGonagall placed two matchsticks in front of me. I blink a couple of seconds before remembering the 'change matchstick into a needle' exercise.

To be honest, I debated with myself if I should blow the competition away completely, or should I go easy on them.

I decide to, since I already destroyed any chance of a cover of a moderately powerful student, I might as well live up to whatever hype I've generated.

I draw out my 12" Ash and unicorn tail wand, and remember why I used wand less magic so much. I could literally  _feel_ the wand rejecting me. I inherited it from Charlie, for whom it was a perfect match.

Ah well, nothing to it then.

I checked the spell and wand motions, then focussing my core, cast the spell. The wand actively fought against the magic. I kept pouring power into it. Something had to give.

The wand blew up.

_Brilliant_.

I examined my mangled hand with academic interest. I  _never_  did manage to blow up my hand before, so it was interesting to observe.

I noticed McGonagall saying something to me, but my ears were ringing and I felt... _dizzy._

I felt the floor rush up to meet me before everything went black.


	14. Chapter 14

_First Year Begins: The First Day (Part 2)_

**Date** : 02/09/1991

**Time** : 1430 hours

**Place** : Unknown Location, Earth, Sol System, Local Interstellar Cloud, Local Bubble, Orion Cygnus Arm, Milky Way

_**William 'Bill' Weasley's POV:** _

The first thing I realise on regaining consciousness was my right hand wrapped up in bandages and someone running their hands through my hair. I caught a whiff of a familiar perfume.

_Mum..._

I could say that the relationship between my Mum and I is  _strained_. She couldn't understand where her little boy disappeared, and I wasn't a child, at least mentally.

But, I'll admit it, I missed this.

_Move with a purpose Spartan!_ I scold myself, ready to push away the comfort I was receiving.

**Mood music: Ignition by TobyMac**

It felt like my body was restrained to the bed, my body sluggish from drugs. I immediately started an Occlumency exercise to purge the drugs from my system.

"Impressive, using Occlumency to purge his system of drugs. We might have a prodigy on our hands" came a woman's contralto, which was definitely not my Mum's voice. I could sense the runes that were suppressing my magic lined on the bed's sides.

I wasn't one of the youngest Cursebreakers and the youngest team lead of Cursebreakers in the last century for nothing. I let out a sliver of magic, manipulating it into a thin edge, sharp enough to cut through 2 centimeters of Titanium-A. I then replicate it multiple times, directing towards the runes. I then simultaneously lance them with the energy blades.

"Boss, we've got a problem..." came a male voice, which was as far as he went when I exploded.

I launch myself off the bed, detonating a magic field I surround myself with on a daily basis, letting off a shock wave of noise and light. I quickly take stock of the area.

21 hostiles, one a metamorphamagus, who was stuck shifting from my Mum's form and her base form. I quickly sock her on the temple, knocking her out.

One of the men in a silvery robe was regaining his bearings. I hit him with a Take Down or TD combo, an  _Incarcerous-Duro-Stupefy_. As he topples over, I switch targets to the three... _Aurors?!_ The hell?! I engage them with a TD combo, taking them out, deciding to restrain the lot before interrogating them. I then move onto... _Sirius Black?! And Lily sodding Potter?! The hells hell!? What the fuck is going on?_

I take'em down fast, casting a Cushioning Charm for Lily Potter,just to protect her pregnancy. By this time the rest had regained their senses and sent Stunners at me. I cast a wandless  _Protego_  to protect myself as I come under fire. I summon the Sword from its dimensional sheath and drop the  _Protego_  and let myself  _go_.

The Sword came  _alive_  in my hands. I was moving, blocking spells sent my way using the Sword, redirecting the magic sent my way using the blade to send the spell to the nearest person. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. I was in the  _zone._

_"Cease fire, cease fire!_ " ordered a voice, causing the spellfire coming my way to stop. I kept the Sword in a guard position, magic pooling in my off-hand. A woman in her early forties dressed in Auror robes with a monocle and had red hair going to gray had given the order, with a man dressed in navy-blue robes standing next to her. He had black hair combed in a widow's peak, sharp silver eyes that were analysing me, and an angular face. He looked to be in his late forties.

"Mister Weasley, I request you to stand down. We are not your enemies" the lady said, her voice imploring. But, the way they went about it... _no_. Can't risk OPSEC. Need to neutralise them all  _now_.

"No.  _Stupefy Vibro"_ I cast and a red shock wave blasts out from me, knocking out the remaining occupants of the room.

The silence was broken by the sound of dripping sweat falling on the floor and my gasping breath.

I then nerve up to do the next most difficult thing to do. Difficult, as I need precise information as to where to drop them off discreetly. And it would be physically draining.

Walking up to the lady boss, I cast my first Unforgivable.

" _Imperio_ " I intone.


	15. The Spider's Web-I

_The Spider's Web-I_

**Date** : 02/09/1991

**Time** : 1030 hours

**Place** : Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Ministry of Magic, London, UK, Earth, Sol System, Local Interstellar Cloud, Local Bubble, Orion Cygnus Arm, Milky Way

_**Amelia Bones's POV:** _

Amelia felt as if a veil had been removed from her mind, when her eyes rested on the desk in front of her. She wondered what was the reason for her sudden regaining of sense, until she felt the heat being given off by her necklace.

_What..but how?_  she thought, knowing the family heirloom reacted only when mind magics were used on any of the Bones's bloodline, and acted as an additional layer of defence, among other uses.

The fact that it was still burning meant that it, and her Occlumency barriers had been  _overwhelmed_.

" _Ami!_ " shouted the voice of her long-time best friend and subordinate, John Dawlish as he burst through the door into her office. The normally cool and composed head of Auror Intelligence was nearly frantic with worry, his pale face red and eyes wide.

Seeing that she was okay, he quickly hugged her. Amelia hid her smile at the usually composed Dawlish being so worried.

_Why would he...oh right. The ring_ she thought groggily, trying to piece together what had happened, her mind struggling to remember. The ring she gave the night her brother Edgar, her sister-in-law Evelyn and niece Susan died, making her the last surviving Bones.

A night of drunken, grieving comfort in the arms of her best friend had resulted in the exchange of the items, taken from the Manor's vaults. Blood-tied, the devices worked on sympathetic magic, giving off stimuli and a sense of direction of the wearer.

"What happened?" she asked, noting her subordinates looking in with cheeky smirks, with Kingsley, _the traitor_ , having the gall to give her a quick wink and casting a wordless locking charm on the door of her office.

"The ring was burning...only thing possible to overwhelm... _Imperius_ " he gasps, his breathing catching up, giving the level of exertion he had undergone.

"I mean, weren't we were supposed to look up something in Hogwarts?" she asked, causing Dawlish to stiffen up. And he let out a string of curses, both surprising in number and sheer imagination.

She really did not want to understand why Dementors were supposed to perform  _fellatio_  on a centaur while being probed by a goblin. Or how they would go about it.

"We've been mind-magicked. An  _Imperio_ to suppress any defences and leave psi-traps, a surgical  _Obliviate_  to remove memories and possibly a  _Confundus_ to ensure we return back to our offices. I'd bet a year's salary a Time-Turner was involved. Standard U-DAT cover-up tactics" at this Amelia stiffened, knowing about the Unspeakable Direct Action Teams by reputation only, having never met them or seen them in action. While ostensibly studying and doing research on magic and various creatures and phenomenon created by the same, the mandate of the Department of Mysteries was much more. Foreign espionage, counterintelligence, covert direct-action, foreign internal defense, even dealing with Dark Lord wannabes.

Considering their skill set and support, Voldemort's waging of the First Blood War was all the more impressive, bringing the entire Ministry to its knees while staying a jump ahead of U-DAT kill teams and Auror and Hitwizard squads deployed to hunt him down, even once engaging and wiping out three of these teams. Teams armed, organised and skilled in taking down Dark Lord wannabes. And left their heads on pikes in the Ministry Atrium.

A resounding message, to which then-Head and Amelia's former boss Bartimaeus Crouch Senior responded by having the Wizengamot authorise all Auror and Hitwizard forces with lethal powers. A move that was heavily contested by both sides, but was in the end passed.

Which effectively ended his career by the end of the First Blood War, due to the significant number of DEs that walked away with nothing more than a slap on the wrist, and on gaining seats in the political body, got the malleable Fudge in place as Minister for Magic and had him tell Crouch Senior to jump before he was pushed. Who left, cursing the Ministry for its short-sightedness and that their decisions would 'be paid in the blood of our children'.

Since then, the DEs (and everyone who had served in the DMLE during the First Blood War  _knew_  that they were DEs) had only slowed down any reforms in the system and ensured that their blood money would corrupt the system further.

Hogwarts and the DMLE were relatively untouched, something that Amelia and Dawlish had ensured as soon as they ascended to the Heads of their respective fiefdoms, purging the system of traitors and setting up stringent standards for selecting new trainees.

A knock on the door broke Amelia out of her internal musings. Separating and straightening out their clothes, Amelia called "Come in!"

The door opened to admit Hitwizard Ronald Weasley and Auror Trainee Nymphadora Tonks who were looking around in some confusion.

"Ma'am, I received a memo regarding my brother Bill? Apparently he had some incidents...?" Ron trailed off as he saw his superiors share a look. Then Amelia sighed and gestured to both of them to sit down and said "Weasley, I want a complete briefing on your brother. Anything and everything you know about him. No detail is too unimportant. Meanwhile, John. Call in the Potters, Moody and Black. This might be more dangerous than we thought if U-DAT would go to the extreme of covering up something" Dawlish nodded in reply and summoned a Patronus, sending a message off to the mentioned parties.

"U-DAT?" asked Tonks in some confusion. To which Amelia replied.

"Classified. Weasley, I'm waiting..."

Ron straightened up and said "Well, I guess it starts around the time he's eight years old and in a Quidditch accident..."

* * *

**Date** : 05/10/1991

**Time** : 0430 hours

**Place** : Room of Requirement, Hogwarts, Scotland, UK, Earth, Sol System, Local Interstellar Cloud, Local Bubble, Orion Cygnus Arm, Milky Way

_**William 'Bill' Weasley's POV:** _

**Mood Music: Boots On The Ground by NerdOut ft. Dan Bull+DaddyPhatSnaps**

I ran up the balance walk of the live-fire obstacle course and jump off, rolling on hitting the ground, the straps of the 5 kilo backpack digging into my shoulders, my holstered Berettas slapping against my waist and the Room made MP5SD digging into my chest.

Four targets immediately pop-up, three non-hostile one hostile. I drill a hole in the hostile target's head with one shot. I then run to the cargo net and start climbing it. I then make my way down and run into the third kill-house, hitting the door with a Blasting Hex.

Two targets to the left, two rounds through the head apiece. I move forward, target, non-hostile, move, three targets, one non-hostile, two rounds each to targets, targets five, all hostile, switch to burst, 15 rounds, 5 dead. Approaching 10 round mark.

Five targets, non-hos...wait, bomber! Shoot, burst 3 rounds. 7 rounds. Mag change. Last mag.

Chambering a round, I move into the next room, 10 targets, all hostile. I let rip, burning out the mag. All neutralised. I swap out for my pistols, next room, no targets. Next room, hostage situation, 12 in total, 4 guns 1 bomb. I aim first for the bomber, fire with both, then shift aim to the next two, open fire, double tap to head, rinse and repeat. Next room. Two hostiles, one round each, 9 rounds each. I blast the door down and run to the finish line. Crossing it, I collapse to my knees, laying the pistols down and stopping the timer running on my watch.

13:13:67. Damn it. Need to be faster.

I pull myself off of the ground, safeing and holstering my pistols and jogging to the start-line, a nice 5 kilometer run, which would keep me warmed up without exhausting myself.

As I reached the start-line, I reflected on all the things I had changed.

After securing all the occupants in the room, I  _Imperiuised_  Amelia Bones, then using a legilimency probe, found out what had caused it.

Apparently my little display in the Hall on the first day and my wand detonating in the first class were grounds enough for me to be carted off to be investigated.

My actions had put the Fear Of God in her. An untrained young boy who was able to wandlessly and silently cast structured spells and was able to lay a smack down on a group of war veterans and moving like a cat on a hot tin roof, with a blade that felt intensely  _wrong_  to her magical senses. Good thing they didn't have Moody, he would have been able to stop me. Paranoid bastard.

I then moved on to gather as much information as possible on recent events from every person's head. Riffling through it, I found out what had happened that made this world different.

Okay, points of similarity.

Voldemort came into prominence in 1964 with the assassination of then Chief Warlock of Wizengamot, Lord Alaric Longbottom. It was initially treated as a myocardial infraction, but as there was no previous history of any such problem, it was considered suspicious, especially when blood-supremacist faction leader Lord Abraxas Malfoy ascended to the chair. Autopsy revealed trace amounts of curare, mostly metabolised.

Followed by Bloody Friday, where, on 15 July 1966, during the Muggleborn Orientation, the DE launched an attack on them, wiping them out and killing their guide, the then-Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher, Gideon Prewett.

This led to escalating attacks. Which is where things start to diverge.

It began by the entry of a quiet, unremarkable young Auror called John Dawlish from the 1970 batch of Aurors, who had passed his course by being  _the gray man_ , except for his proficiency in Camouflage and Concealment and his resistance to  _Imperius_ and  _Confundus_  curse and near-mastery of Occlumency. He ended up being sent into intelligence. Where he climbed the ranks with a rapidity that terrified everyone around him.

He was given the code-name 'Corvus', and proved to be a completely ruthless spy-master and spy. He managed to subvert Lucius Malfoy by 1971, especially interesting considering that the former MoM Nobby Leach had been suspected to be poisoned by Abraxas Malfoy, Severus Snape and then-Lily Evans in 1975, through a staged-fight and public falling out between the two best friends, and Bartimaeus Crouch Jr. in 1977 after having carefully observed the current crop of students, especially those he considered at-risk.

The man's instincts, fieldcraft and knowledge of OPSEC and PERSEC were phenomenal. Admiral Paragonsky would have loved him.

I can honestly say that Admiral Margaret Paragonsky, Commander In Chief of the Office of Naval Intelligence, UNSC is the one person who truly frightened me. Even Voldemort would have wet himself if he ever met the cold, calculating and completely manipulative bitch in charge of the Intelligence side of the UNSC. The Basilisk in charge of a nest of King Cobras.

Dawlish then used these three men to subvert, sabotage and eliminate the DE attacks, cutting down the number of casualties, turning the DE against each other and ensuring that they were Voldemort's most loyal men. The capitalist, the potions master and the mind magic prodigy. With Lily Evans, later Lily Potter acting as their handler and mission control.

And on a cold Christmas night in 1979, they returned with the news that their target was hunting the Bones, Longbottoms and Potters. Which resulted in the massacre of the Bones family.

In this universe, Pettigrew was the traitor again, but this time the person who sacrificed himself to protect the kids was their uncle, Remus Lupin. It turns out that Lily Potter devised a blood runic array, imprinted onto the Potter twins, which was powered by human sacrifice. As Remus had been blood-adopted by the Potters on the death of his family in this universe, he could and did power the blood protection with his own life force. The Potters had been out on a 'date-night', on the insistence of one Peter Pettigrew. Who knew about the runic array, but believed it could be beaten if neither of the parents were in the house.

And which year-old child would know of sacrifice? After all, magic is  _all_  about  _intent_ and  _power_.

What he hadn't counted on was Remus Lupin volunteering to babysit the kids.

Always the human factor.

And Voldemort, acting on his arrogance and incomplete information as to Remus Lupin's status to the Potter family, killed the man as he threw himself in-between Voldemort and the Potter twins. Or atleast that is the most logical supposition of events that occured. And when Voldemort tried to AK the kids, the spell rebounded, obliterating him from existence.

The Longbottom attack had been obviated by Barty Junior, who killed the Lestrange brothers and fought Bellatrix Lestrange to a standstill.

I shook myself out of my thoughts as the alarm on the digital watch on my wrist rang, informing me it was 05:00 A.M.. I head over to the time turner which I had filched from the Department of Mysteries, and making annotations that it had been 'destroyed in action' in their Master Record File, courtesy of the Unspeakable who was present for my interrogation, 'Croaker', Head of DoM. Using it, I had been able to cover my tracks in the Ministry and have been able to ensure that the others are unaware of all the training I'm undergoing.

Slipping it over my head, I quickly wash up in a shower stall created by the Room after squaring away my gear and slipping on my PJs.

Heading out from the room under a Disillusionment charm. I then quietly arm the Hour-Reversal magic in the Time-Turner, spinning the hourglass 5 times and feel the temporal magic take a hold of me. I see the time and space run past me as I am transported back to the Gryffindor Tower, at the same instant my past self leaves the dormitory on silenced and Disillusioned feet for training.

Slipping under the covers, I let sleep overtake me.

As if no time had passed at all, the covers on me were thrown back, waking me instantly. I sit up immediately to the amused amber and emerald gaze of two hellions who tried to make my life difficult. On a daily basis.

"Wakey-wakey sleepy head! It's a brand new day!" chirped Hydrangea 'Heidi' Potter, her eyes popping out due to the emerald green turtle neck sweater she was wearing, her grin equal parts amused and satisfied at my discomfort.

Another girl, this one with a hazel-eyed gaze, sparkling with mirth, jumped onto my bed, nearly depositing me onto the stone floor below.

"You  _did_  promise us that you would spend the weekend with us so we can explore the castle" said Hermione Granger, the bed-jumper, leaning over me, her untameable brunette hair done in ringlets, framing her nut-brown face nicely, as she was wearing a denim jacket and shirt with jeans combo.

The benefit of having an elder sibling made Hermione Granger a more cheerful, relaxed and altogether more companionable person. She hadn't lost her drive for learning and was a powerful witch in the making, but now she was less concerned about being the first person to rattle off all the answers in class and didn't mind the occasional rule-breaking. Though she had a ferocious temper, exemplified when she hexed Fred's fingers together for breaking her concentration when she was revising, and then refusing to undo it until he and George promised to not disturb her when she was studying.

Meanwhile Heidi Potter was a cheerful, popular girl in her own right, with little to no arrogance and always had a kind word to all around her, but was a little prideful and didn't see beyond House divisions, which resulted in her antagonistic relationship with Pansy Parkinson of Slytherin.

Funnily enough, I've seen Harry cheerfully chat with the pug-nosed girl, who had initially started it all off by hurling imprecations at him, his lineage and private parts. Stuff that I did not expect an eleven year old girl to know. Harry let the insults roll off his back like water off a duck. He kept at it, and the girl had finally, after a month of his sheer cussedness, started a begrudging friendship with him.

I for one treated her with a distant courtesy, my memories of her in my universe colouring my opinions, but decided on a wait and watch attitude for her.

After all, this was a whole other  _universe_. Maybe a miracle will happen?

"Alright, alright. I'm up" I say in a mock-grumble to the two girls, who along with Harry and Neville called themselves as my 'best friends'. I call them 'principals' as my job is to keep them safe. Which was made easy as the four of them decided I was a group project in making me more social. To which I acquiesced as I was getting my panic attacks under control.

I head in for a quick shower, washing myself down thoroughly then coming back to change with the two girls still in the room, ogling me. My room mates share amused grins at my expense, with Neville clapping me on the back and Harry shooting his sister a mildly disturbed look. Poor bloke finds his sister a little concerning. Honestly, it is a bit creepy that I am the lust object of two preteen girls. Since I myself am physically a preteen, it made it marginally less creepy.  _Marginally_.

"There, happy now?" I say as I get dressed in a polo t-shirt and jeans. Considering that I was a tall 5'5''at eleven, my parents had a little difficulty getting me clothes for daily wear.

The two girls, who had squeaked and averted their faces when I dropped the towel around my waist, turned to look back at me, their faces burning a red so hot I could probably cook an egg on it , and nodded speechlessly.

"Good, because I want to get some breakfast before we go exploring. Come on" I say, offering them my elbows. Hermione latched onto my left and Heidi attached herself to my right. As they did, I suppress a pang of guilt.

The anti-homesickness ward? I had initially planned to put a kind of Notice-Me-Not charm on my magical presence. But Didi, deciding to interfere more directly, used the same ward scheme to modify everyone's memory to a wand malfunction, which resulted in my wand burning into ash. And a replacement being furnished. She then handed over a wand-shaped stick, which was only there for appearances.

_"You doing that will harm you in the long run. I am quite sure that you don't require a standard focus, but you might be interested in procuring a staff in the near future. It'll make it less strenuous for you when you're casting ritual magic"_ she explained, her voice amused as she healed my hand.

I quash my guilt as I shoot my girls a smile as we make our way out of the dorm.


	16. Spider's Web-II

_Spider's Web-II_

**Date:**  17/10/1991

**Time** : 1304 hours

**Place** : Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts, Scotland, UK, Earth, Sol System, Local Interstellar Cloud, Local Bubble, Orion Cygnus Arm, Milky Way

**Albus Dumbledore's POV:**

Albus stood at the window of his office, stroking his beard as he quietly ruminated over the events of the past month. Especially over a particular conundrum.

Overall, it seemed to be a pleasant year had started for the denizens of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As far everyone else was concerned, the lark was on the wing, the snail was on the thorn and all was right in the world. But, as they also say, heavy the head on which rests the crown. And Albus definitely felt its weight.

He recalled a troubling meeting that he had last month with his protege, John Dawlish.

_"You need to keep an eye on Bill Weasley" he said curtly, not even bothering with any salutation. Which most certainly earned him a raised eyebrow._

_"Arthur and Molly's youngest son? Why?" he had asked, a little surprised as a first-year was someone who would most certainly not come to the notice of the Head of Auror Intelligence._

_"Because that kid somehow knows U-DAT tactics, that's why!" Dawlish replied, his words a growl. The last time Albus had the privilege of seeing Dawlish this angry had been when Voldemort had barely escaped Dawlish's net in September 1978. The Aurors had just got authorisation for utilising lethal tactics against the DE. And Voldemort, through a use of superior skill and a well-timed Fiendfyre distraction managed to evade the hunter-killer team._

_"U-DAT? Are you sure?" Albus asked, himself surprised as the boy was moderately skilled on all accounts, but did not have any particular skill set. An average wizard at best. Socially, he was a bit shy, but Albus's hounorary grand-daughter , grandson and her group of friends were steadily working on making him come out of his shell._

_"No, Amelia, Lily, I and 18 others just spontaneously got Imperiused, Obliviated and had our memories and selfs reset to three hours" Dawlish said, his voice caustic "If it weren't for this" here he tapped the ring on his right hand index finger "we wouldn't have even known"_

_Ah yes, the famous Bones family heirlooms. To beat that, along with the formidable defenses of Dawlish's Occlumency, was quite the feat._

_"And how do you know it was him?" Albus asked mildly, he knew Dawlish wasn't here because of wounded pride, but because he genuinely thought the boy was dangerous._

_"Why don't I show you?" he replied, pulling out a bottle of white condensate that swirled out of one of his pockets._

The memories, though damaged, had been enough to show Albus the extent of the boy's capability. Capability that was far beyond anything Albus had ever seen. If Albus were immodest, he would say that he was a shade more skillful and powerful than Bill Weasley. Which meant that the boy would be the next Merlin by the time he reached adulthood.

What  _really_ stuck in Albus's craw was that the boy would choose to suppress his natural talents instead of allowing himself to shine. The educator in him was appalled at the sheer  _waste_  the boy was generating in class.

But it was the eyes that caught Albus's attention. Ice-blue eyes that looked as if it were coming from the depths of Siberia.

Eyes that had seen death.

The only other person who Albus knew was that dangerous, other than himself, Gellert and Tom, was Alastor. And this made the next thought even more concerning.

Woven into the wards of the castle was an ancient spell, crafted by Helga Hufflepuff, which was meant to prevent homesickness among the eleven year olds, creating a strong bond between the students and the castle, who would come to view the place as a second home.

And Bill had rejected the bond. From what he could gather from the sentience that had come into existence over time in Hogwarts, the boy did not see this as his home, but as an operations area.

Now, in Albus's eyes, the boy was no longer shy but watchful. The way he took in everything around him, the near-silent movement of his feet, the calm confidence of having ' _been there, done that_ ' was now a cause for concern for Albus. The only thing stopping him from forbidding Heidi and Harry from having to do anything with Bill was an incident involving a group of Seventh Years who had tried to attack the group of firsties Heidi and Harry belong to. They were primarily targeting Heidi, hoping to pass it off as an 'accident', while injuring her in hope of gaining revenge for their parents.

Bill had physically and magically dismantled the attackers. Five snapped wands, three concussions, seven broken noses, a fractured trachea, four damaged scrotums, a shattered knee, 57 broken ribs and 7 broken jaws had put an end to the attack. Resulting in an excited group of firsties practically press-ganging Bill into training them in physical self-defense. And a year-long detention at Albus's hands where he advised Bill to train the students, and advised him to begin performing to his actual potential in class. Who accepted it stoically like a soldier, only a flash of annoyance briefly flaring in his eyes.

The training was a roaring success, with students from all years and all houses joining in. And Bill's grades also sky-rocketed, forcing the entire staff to build a separate curriculum for Bill, with Runes and Arithamancy being added to the list after Bill took a competency test. The rate at which the boy was going, Albus was confident he would be taking home multiple Masteries by the time he was in his seventh-year.

But there was one phrase that ran through Albus's mind when he came across an exhausted Bill Weasley exiting from a room that promptly vanished, on the seventh-floor, near the dancing trolls.

The boy was bruised, with blood coming from a wound on his shoulder. As Albus rushed up to him, Disillusioned and silenced against detection, Bill took out a small, dark green bottle with a needle at its end. Pushing the needle into the wound, he suppressed a cry of pain as a green foam filled it up, hardening and lightening immediately to match his skin tone. Shaking his head at the blood loss, Bill had nearly fallen, but somehow found the strength to stay upright.

_"Move with a purpose Spartan"_  he had muttered to himself as he vanished from view. The slight afterimage left behind hinted at temporal magics.

_'What are Spartans?'_  Albus thought to himself as he remembered observing the punishing routine Bill put himself through daily, his concerns mounting, waiting for the inevitable crash.


	17. Spider's Web-III

**16\. Spider's Web-III**

**Date** : 29/10/1991

**Time** : 1304 hours

**Place** : A heavily warded trunk in the DADA Professor's Office, Hogwarts, Scotland, UK, Earth, Sol System, Local Interstellar Cloud, Local Bubble, Orion Cygnus Arm, Milky Way

**Quirinus Quirell/Tom 'Lord Voldemort' Riddle's POV:**

As he watched the lynchpin for the final steps of his plan to restore himself back to his glory, Voldemort couldn't help his smile of amusedly wicked delight cross his face. 

Dumbledore thought he was being too clever by half when he had warded that unused third floor corridor, or had that damnable bastard Dawlish scan his soul. Oh yes, first he was going to cause havoc on this school by unleashing his monster. Not a troll, oh no no no. Trolls were.... pedestrian. Too easy to beat for even a moderately skilled wizard. No, his monster was a work of art.

He used the werewolf curse as the vector, using it to infuse the characteristics of a Nundu into an Ashwinder, had it be eaten by a nest of myrmykes, causing the creatures to mutate. They sadly didn't last long, but left behind a gift in the form of a small clutch of eggs. 

When he had approached one of them, his curiosity piqued, the egg burst open, launching a spider-like being at his face. A quick immobilisation spell put a stop to it. Observing the strange creature in front of him brought an unbidden memory from the part of the corner of his psyche that contained the gibbering wreck that was Quirinus Quirrel. Apparently, the man had a fondness for muggle horror movies. And an image of dark, scaled predator, who bred through latching onto the faces of their victim, then bursting out of their chest fully formed as it searched for sustenance and to breed.

He decided to experiment. Using Knockturn Alley, he came upon a homeless drunk. Kidnapping him, Voldemort latched the spidery creature onto his face.

He was not disappointed by the results.

Within minutes of being deposited, a snake like creature burst out of the drunk's chest. Within a day, it had grown into a fearsome predator. And she recognised him as her  _leader_.

Who needed inferi, when he had  _this_.

Which led to Voldemort wanting  _more._ A hunting pack of them would suffice.

He decided to visit Muggle London, playing the part of a magician. A little sleight of hand, a little wandless magic and his signature charm attracted prey of all shapes and sizes. When some of them asked for an encore, he lead them to an abandoned warehouse. Making sure that they stood right in the centre of the building, Voldemort dropped the illusion, revealing his Queen and her clutch of eggs.

Their screams went unheard as the eggs hatched. 


End file.
